Search form

Tale of Two Californias Misses the Bigger Story of Inequality

California's inequality is usually described in geographic terms that distinguishes between the state's affluent coastal areas and impoverished inland areas. When considering the cost of living, a statewide poverty crisis comes into focus.

"[T]wo recent reports suggest that poverty in California’s coastal areas may have been significantly understated, thanks largely to high housing costs," observes The Economist.

"In America’s biggest state, more than 8m people struggle to meet their everyday needs. Over one-quarter of children live in poverty. But California has spent so long grappling with its fiscal woes that this has been neglected. 'Everyone knows it’s an issue,' says John Husing, an Inland Empire economist. 'But no one is talking about it.'”